Isolationism
In the early 1930's, America was troubled by the rise of dictatorships in Italy andGermany, and a militaristic government in Japan, but felt unable, and unwilling, to doanything about these developments. The inability of the League Of Nations to haltaggressor nations further strengthened American isolationists. As a result, isolationistcongressmen succeeded in passing neutrality acts intended to keep the United Statesout of another war. President Roosevelt invoked the Neutrality Acts against thebelligerents and issued a declaration of American neutrality. Roosevelt's primary goalwas to keep the nation neutral in action, however, he did not expect all Americans to The Neutrality Act of 1935 declared that the President should prohibit for sixmonths the shipping of arms to warring powers and should forbid Americans citizensto travel on the ships of nations at war. Roosevelt preferred and embargo on armsshipments to aggressor nations while permitting the sale of arms to nations defendingthemselves. But the isolationists felt that if the United States was to keep out of foreignquarrels, it could not afford to distinguish between aggressors and victims.
Roosevelt had discussed with the British government in 1940 the possibility ofmaking the United States an "arsenal of democracy. Inaddition to all this, Roosevelt also brought to the attention of the American people thatthe Nazi victories threatened to bring war closer to the United States. " The United States, however,could not lend money to Britain, since the neutrality acts prohibited loans tobelligerents. " After passing the Neutrality Acts of 1935 and 1937, the American attitudetoward aggressor nations began to change. " PresidentRoosevelt stressed the need to strengthen American defenses and give all possible aidto Great Britain. Finally, thebombing of Pearl Harbor impelled America into the second World War. Americas leader was President Roosevelt, who in only three monthsproved his leadership expertise to the America people. Isolationists in Congress insisted that the measure woulddrag us into war, nevertheless, public opinion favored the measure and so it waspassed. Such legislation played into the hands of aggressor nations byassuring them that there victims could not get military supplies from the United States. Its no wonder why Rooseveltearned himself four terms as President, he demonstrated his assertiveness bystrengthening the military; his openness by making the American people aware of hisconcerns; his wisdom by understanding all sides of the situation at hand; his politicaldiscernment by keeping all his options open; his sensitivity and intuition as heunderstood the psychology of his citizens; and his awe-inspiring determination, as hedeclared, what he called, the "Four Freedoms (389)" (freedom of speech and worship;freedom from want and fear). Before the outbreak of World War II Roosevelt had voiced his objections to theNeutrality Acts. It could no longer be said that America wasa neutral nation, they were now involved with worldly concerns. He did this by making Americans realize that they had no experiencewith going to war for shielding purposes outside the Western Hemisphere.
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